HYDERABAD: Inspired from the extensive Indian history and civilisation, is a new book titled Sutradhar by debut author Ratul Chakraborty. Released as an ebook in April, the book is a historical fiction, a collection of seven stories.
“It took me a decade to write this 56,000 word book, however, I took a break from work for about three months last year to finish this book,” says Ratul, a video game designer by profession, who started writing the book while in Hyderabad a few years ago.
Ratul says, “Each of these tales is a dramatised reinterpretation of events, myths and legends associated with individual time periods.”
The original dramatic content is set in a historical background spanning across the spectrum of Indian history -- right from the Harappan/Mohenjodaro civilization to the partition of India. “This book is a reflection of history, social paradigms shift and developmental change overtime,” says the author who is also an avid traveller and a street portraiture photographer.
“The seven stories span multiple genres, from historical fantasy to cosmic horror, and are often tinged with dark, sometimes absurdist undertones,” elaborates Ratul on the book.
“I began to write this book because I firmly believe that there is both need and demand for an entertaining and modern retelling of certain key episodes of Indian history done from an emic perspective,” says the author. The first story, ‘Newton’s First’, set in the Sarasvati civilisation, deals with issues such as the impact of loss of faith and civilizational responses to habitat changes.
The second story, ‘The Law’, is about a faceoff between Alexander and Chanakya, and deals with matsyanyaya.
‘The Lament’ is about Ashoka and his last journey. The longest story of the collection is ‘A Mirror for the Ants’, a story that starts out with an Asterix trope, but in which a rabid Aurangzeb gets a payback in a manner that can only be called Indic cosmic horror. ‘One Penny Tune’, is a story set in rural Bengal during the great famine, and primarily deals with the question of arrival of modernity.
The shortest story is ‘The Offering’, which is set in the British era, and is all about the power of seeking refuge in faith. The final story, ‘The Path of a Coward’ plays out in the violent hellscape of the partition era. Thrilled by the reception of the e-book, 36-year-old Ratul, says, “Strangers have reached out to me and told me how the book has touched their minds.”
He finds it a “humbling experience,” and calls “it the power of the written word.” Even as he awaits the physical launch of the book once the lockdown ends, Ratul has already started work on his next creative venture. Sutradhar is available on all digital platforms.